Math teacher education focus of talk

An international scholar on teaching and
preparing mathematics teachers will be the first lecturer in a
new speaker series, "Current Issues in Mathematics Education," hosted
by the College of Education. Thomas Cooney, professor emeritus at the
University of Georgia, Athens, will discuss reform efforts in
mathematics teacher education at 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 18, in the Gold
Room, Memorial Union. The
series is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Hansen Early Childhood Lecture to be Oct. 13

Judith Carta, a nationally recognized expert on early childhood behavior
and the 2004-2005 Barbara E. (Mound) Hansen Early Childhood Lecture Series
Endowment speaker, will be on campus Oct. 13 - 15. She will speak on "Seven
Successful Strategies for Preventing Challenging Behavior in Young Children"
at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 13, in the Pioneer Room, Memorial Union. The
lecture is free and open to the public. Carta is a professor of special
education and a senior scientist for the Schiefelbusch Institute for
Life-Span Studies, University of Kansas, Lawrence.

2004 World Food Prize Laureate to visit ISU Oct. 12

Professor Yuan Longping, whose pioneering rice research has transformed
China's food security, will visit Iowa State on Tuesday, Oct. 12 -- two days
before he receives the prestigious 2004 World Food Prize in Des Moines.

Borlaug lecture is Oct. 13

Catherine Bertini, who transformed the United Nations' World Food
Programme into the world's largest humanitarian relief organization, will
present the third annual Norman Borlaug Lecture at Iowa State on Oct.
13.

Student arrested in connection with bottle bomb

Schaefer named Hoover chair in geotechnical
engineering

Two Iowa State University alumni pay tribute to a former engineering
professor with the creation of the James M. Hoover Chair in Geotechnical
Engineering. The chair's first recipient, Vernon Schaefer, was installed
Oct. 2 at The Knoll.

Vet Med professor receives national teaching award

Dr. Holly Bender has received the Teaching Excellence Award for Basic
Sciences from the Student American Veterinary Medicine Association. Bender
is an associate professor of veterinary pathology. She was honored for her
leadership in developing Diagnostic Pathfinder, and innovative clinical
instructional software tool.

Iowa Congressman Leach will speak Oct. 13

Iowa Second Congressional District Representative James Leach is the
first Robert Stafford Lecturer on Banking for Iowa State's
College of Business. He will discuss "Current Topics Facing Today's Banking
Industry" Wednesday, Oct. 13, in the Memorial
Union. The lecture honors Robert Stafford, longtime president and chairman of First National Bank,
Ames.

Wolverine World Wide Inc. president and CEO named fall 'Executive In
Residence' by ISU's College of Business; to speak Oct. 7

Timothy O'Donovan, president and CEO for Wolverine World Wide Inc.,
Rockford, Mich., will speak at Iowa State University on "Building Successful
Global Brands." His talk will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, in the
Richard and Joan Stark Lecture Hall, 1148 Gerdin Business Building. The
event is free and open to the public. O'Donovan is the College of Business'
fall semester Executive in Residence. Executives in the program teach
undergraduate classes, conduct graduate seminars and interact with faculty
and staff. He is an Iowa State graduate in industrial administration.

Ag, Veterinary Medicine and Natural Resources news

Learn how Iowa State students defied gravity with a food blender that's
out of this world, what Iowa organic farmers think about standardized
regulations, why American feta cheese may need to find a new name and what a
World Food Prize laureate will talk about at Iowa State. It's all in the
September tipsheet of agriculture, veterinary medicine and natural resources
news.

Construction is under way at the Roy J. Carver Co-Laboratory on a
facility for growing
plants that need containment. Details.

On the election

Hamm

"Judging from their behavior, both Republican and Democrat strategists
think that, once again, absentee voting, especially from abroad, is
bound to play a key role in the 2004 presidential election, as it did in
2000," said ISU political scientist Patricia Hamm. "The vote of approximately
7 million American expatriates has
become one of the most coveted, which is why Republicans and Democrats alike,
including the Kerry and the Bush sisters, and nephew George P. Bush,
are busy courting them in places like Mexico City, where about 700,000
Americans live."

Baum

"The challenge for George W. Bush and the Republican Party is to
convince voters that their emphasis on faith is not meant to divide or
exclude people," says ISU associate professor of philosophy and
religious studies Robert Baum, "or to remove the separation of church
and state
that has guided this country since the time of Jefferson."

Dimitrova

"The Internet has become vital to the 2004 campaign giving both
parties access to information and ideas not provided by the big
national media," says ISU political scientist Daniela Dimitrova. "For
instance, the Internet is an important source of information on the
Iraq War. Americans holding negative views toward the war have been
particularly motivated to go online and seek alternative views. Blog
sites such as 'Where is Raed' is a good example."

"This is a crucial moment for the Democratic Party as it tries to
re-gain its reputation on defense and domestic security and, in a
sense, recapture the American flag from the Republicans," says ISU
political scientist Steffen Schmidt. "Both defense and security are
top priority issues on American's minds."

"States like Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio
are crucial to the selection of the next president," says ISU
political scientist James McCormick. "As the Midwest
goes, so goes the presidency."

"Evangelical voter turnout will be a big question for the GOP
in the 2004 election," says ISU political scientist Kim Conger. "The
party that turns out its base will be in the best position to
capitalize on the swing voters they can attract."

"Since Richard Nixon in 1960, it has been customary for nomination
accepters in both parties to include in their speeches 'personal
vision statements' of the American dream," says ISU political
scientist Ray Dearin. "Republicans have stressed the pioneer,
individual liberty, and 'opportunity society'; Democrats have leaned
toward the immigrant, 'huddled masses,' and communitarian
version. Expect this trend to continue in New York."

"The Bush/Cheney campaign is doing more than it did four years ago to
try to win the women's vote," says ISU political scientist Dianne
Bystrom. "This includes a greater reliance on the president's wife to
campaign. For example, she is featured in an ad on the Bush campaign's
Web site devoted to women, talking about the administration's record
on education."

ISU in the news

It's the kids killing time

Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald

Most parents don't realize we are living in the third era of the computer
game, says Craig Anderson, professor and chair of psychology at Iowa State.
First was the "Atari era" --- 1977 to 1985 -- with very little violence in
video games. Second was the "Nintendo era" -- 1985 to 1995 -- when violence
increased as sales of violent games soared. And now we are in the "Sony
PlayStation era" -- marked by games with ever increasingly more realistic
depictions of violence and when children are playing at younger ages and for
longer periods of time.

Tips on buying a business

The New York Times

"Buyer beware" is as true when buying a small business as it is when
purchasing a used car. The savvy buyer will examine existing businesses
from all angles, according to Howard Van Auken, professor of finance and
entrepreneurship in ISU's College of Business. Is the purchase price
consistent with the "value" of the business? Is the inventory current and in
good condition? Have the financial statements been audited for at least two
years? What is the cash flow of the business and the owner's monthly
"draw?"

Kerry losing women's support

Chicago Tribune

Women were a prime target in the 2000 presidential campaign, and they
remain a key audience in this year's election -- just weeks away. The
successful candidate will have to build a decisive advantage among women
voters, says Dianne Bystrom, director of ISU's Carrie Chapman Catt Center
for Women and Politics.

"George Bush in 2000 probably didn't pay as much attention to women
voters as he should have," Bystrom said. "This year, he can make it up."